Saint Augustine (pictured above) once said, “Men go abroad to wonder at the heights of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motions of the stars, and they pass by themselves without wondering.” This wonderment of the physical world is fully present in the stunning French cities, throughout the picturesque European countryside, and on each charming boulevard. I was expecting to marvel at my new surroundings, snapping pictures in amazement at the sights about which I had only read given that I had never before journeyed on European soil. However, I believe that a further sort of wonder has been present that goes beyond the tangible realms to impress upon one’s own understanding and ideas. As many students who return from studies at another university have said, a year away is not only a memorable experience that can fill photo albums, but life altering as well. While I pass my half way point of studies in France, I am astonished by the impossibility of the newness that continues to greet me each day. I am in a sort of paradox where each fresh encounter with an innovative idea or distinctive originality makes it seem that I have just stepped off the plane at Charles de Gaulle, but at the same time, the great changes I have already experienced in my way of life make it seem a lifetime since I waved farewell to my parents at the crowded Los Angeles airport.
As Augustine hints, the physical is where we can most easily see the transformations and make comparisons between the familiar and the foreign, such as the foods I now prefer, the manner in which I dress, or even the city through which I walk. However, the more complex changes are those that arise from this thoroughly singular situation where students come into contact with other interesting individuals they would never have the occasion to meet within such an scholarly and engaging environment. For example, I recently had the opportunity to travel to the mountains in the east of France for an inexpensive ski trip with twelve other international students. Somewhere between learning how to properly snow-plow down a mountainside from an Austrian, to discussing North American culture with a Canadian, and a dialogue about the importance of national identity in central and eastern Europe with two young ladies from the Czech Republic and Slovakia, I came to the realization that it is in moments like these that make the year abroad so unique, and justifies the term 'exchange', in that we exchange not only our homes for another but we exchange pieces of ourselves. I hope to continue the second half of my journey and wonder not only at the beautiful beaches of Biarritz or the stunning splendor of snow-covered mountains surrounding Grenoble, but also wonder at the indefinable and almost ethereal beauty that is the coming together of fresh minds and the opportunities to affect one another’s perceptions of the world. I hope to prove Augustine partially wrong and take time to wonder at humanity and how coming into close, continuous contact with newness can change people. I want to enjoy every amazing moment trading thoughts on the future of the European Union, recipes for one dish meals that can be prepared on a hot plate, and most importantly pieces of myself for pieces of others, and hopefully return home knowing I have understood not only the world a little better, but myself as well.
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